Though Nigeria played her first-ever FIFA World Cup match at the Mexico ’83 World Youth Championship, the nation’s U-20 team, better known as the Flying Eagles had been trying to qualify for the competition since inception in 1977 when the first ever Flying Eagles led by the peerless Henry Nwosu alongside other exciting youth players like Franklin Howard, Stephen Keshi, Humphrey Edobor, Sylvanus Okpala, Lucky Ibhafidon, late Yomi Adedeji, Ahmed Jumaare and Idris Musa amongst many failed to qualify for the maiden edition in Tunisia.
The former USSR became inaugural winners after defeating Mexico 9-8 on penalties following a 2-2 stalemate after full and extra time. Africa was represented by Ivory Coast and Morocco but they both failed to go past the group stage.
Two years later, the Flying Eagles aspired to go to the U-20 World Cup again, this time to be hosted by Japan. In the qualifying series, Nigeria walked over Gambia, beat Cameroun 3-1 (1-1, 2-0) before losing to Guinea 2-1 on aggregate (0-1, 1-1) in the semi-final stage to crash out of contention for one of the two tickets on offer.
Africa’s representatives Algeria got whipped 5-0 by eventual winners Argentina in the quarter-finals while Guinea lost all three group games and it took the wizardry of a certain Diego Maradona to stop the USSR from retaining the title as the Albiceleste won 3-1 in the final.
When the race for the 1981 edition kicked off, Nigeria joined battle with 14 other African countries for a place in the final tournament in Australia. Again they walked over Cote d’Ivoire, defeated Tunisia 5-4 (4-0, 1-4), but again lost 4-2 (2-3, 0-1) to Cameroun at the semi-final hurdle.
Cameroun and Egypt flew Africa’s flag at the competition but while the Egyptians got eliminated in the quarter-finals by England, Cameroun went out in the first round without winning a single game. Surprise giant-killers Qatar eventually met their waterloo when they got walloped 4-0 by West Germany in the final.
After the heart-breaking failure of 1981, Coach Chris Udemezue assembled a crack squad to prosecute the qualification series for the 1983 edition billed for Mexico. They defeated Gabon 3-0 (1-0, 2-0), edged Zimbabwe 3-2 (3-1, 0-1) and in the final stage beat Ivory Coast 4-3 (2-2, 2-1) to qualify for the World Cup as African champions.
As recalled by Tajudeen Disu, a prominent member of that team: “Probably because the fulcrum of the team had been together for so long and because we had come to know each other’s strength so well, we approached the qualifiers with gusto and never thought we wouldn’t qualify. Not for once did we have a shred of doubt about our chances.”
MEXICO ‘83
Off to the World Cup, the Flying Eagles became the first Nigerian team at any level to represent the country in a FIFA-organized competition.
Off to the World Cup, the Flying Eagles became the first Nigerian team at any level to represent the country in a FIFA-organized competition.
Playing in Group D with Brazil, Netherlands and USSR, Tarila Okorowanta entered the record books as the first player to score a World Cup goal for Nigeria on June 3, 1983 in the 1-0 win over the Soviet Union in front of 37,837 spectators at the Estadio Tecnologico in Monterrey.
Three days later, the Nigerian lads came up against Brazil but got walloped 3-0 to leave qualification hopes on a tight-rope. In the last group game, the Flying Eagles needed a win but could only settle for a 0-0 draw against a Marco van Basten-inspired Netherlands which meant they crashed out with three points, one less than the Dutch.
Ivory Coast, Africa’s other representative, managed a solitary point before crashing out in a group comprising Uruguay, Poland and USA.
USSR ‘85
Having tasted the World Cup, the Nigerian lads would not be denied of another bite at the cherry. In the qualifiers, the Flying Eagles beat arch-rivals Ghana 2-1 (2-0, 0-1), edged Cameroun 5-4 (0-3, 5-1), booted out Ethiopia 4-1 (3-0, 1-1) and defeated Tunisia 3-2 (1-1, 2-1) to retain the Tessema Cup as African champions.
At the World Cup proper, Nigeria opened with a 2-0 win over Canada, Monday Odiaka and Samson Siasia getting the goals.
Two days later they lost 2-1 to the host nation, Mark Anunobi getting a late consolation before staging a minor miracle by coming from two goals down to beat Australia 3-2 in the last match to snatch the second quarter-final ticket from the Aussies. Niyi Adeleye, Odiaka and Anunobi were the scorers.
Two goals in three first-half minutes from Augustine Igbinabaro and Odiaka against Mexico ensured a 2-1 victory in the semi-finals before the Nigerians came up against old foes Brazil in the semi-finals.
In the third-place match, they met the host nation again and battled to a 0-0 scoreline but won 3-1 on penalties for Nigeria, nay Africa’s, first ever medal at the U-20 World Cup.
This bronze medal came a month after the national U-17 side, the Golden Eaglets had stunned the world to win the world title in China.
Tunisia, the other team from Africa failed to earn a single point.
CHILE ‘87
After the bronze-winning effort in 1985, everyone expected the Flying eagles to go one better and win the title itself in Chile and, living up to expectations, they breezed through the African qualifiers with a team regarded as the best-ever assembled at that level.
They edged Zambia 3-2 (2-2, 1-0), walloped Egypt 5-2 (4-0, 1-2), beat Somalia 2-0 (1-0, 1-0) and thrashed Togo 5-1 (2-1, 3-0) to win the Tessema Cup for keeps and qualify for a third straight WYC.
With players like the incredibly talented Etim Esin, dribbling wizard Adeolu Adekola, Nosa Osadolor, Ladi Babalola, late Thompson Oliha, amongst others, the expectation back home was that all the Flying Eagles needed to do was just to show up in Chile and the cup was theirs for the taking.
The players seemed to believe this hype as they came up against Brazil (yet again!) in their opening game but three quick first half goals ensured a 4-0 trouncing from which the team never recovered.
A 2-2 draw with Canada preceded another 2-0 loss to Italy and a quick farewell to the competition even before it started.
Till date, Chile ’87 to which Nigeria sent her best-ever squad remains the worst WYC outing in the nation’s history.
Togo, the other team from Africa, did not fare better. They lost all three games, scored a single goal and conceded nine.
SAUDI ‘89
The disappointment of 1987, subsequently referred to as Chile ’87 disaster, touched a lot of raw nerves and led to the replacement of coach Udemezue with Tunde Disu and assembly of another set of players for the next edition billed for the kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The qualifiers started on a shaky note as the Flying Eagles scrapped past Zaire 2-2 (2-2, 0-0) but comprehensively beat Lesotho 6-1 (4-0, 2-1) before decisioning Ivory Coast 4-2 (2-2, 2-0) and, in the final, they overcame Mali 4-1 (2-1, 2-0) for a fourth straight Tessema Cup win.
Paired in Group A with Saudi Arabia, Portugal and Czechoslovakia, the Flying Eagles began their quest with a 2-1 win over the hosts before slipping to a 1-0 defeat to Portugal which left them needing at least a draw in the last game to ensure they qualified. Czechoslovakia raced into a 14th minute lead and it took a mazy run by Christopher Nwosu which led to a goal in the 72nd minute for the Flying Eagles to secure the required point and passage into the quarter-finals where they met the USSR.
Having denied them a bronze medal four years earlier, the Soviets were primed to exact their pound of flesh and waltzed into a four-goal lead inside one hour.
However, in what has come to be known as the Miracle of Damman after the city in which it was played, the Flying scored four cracking goals in the space of 23 minutes to draw level and take the game to penalties which they won 5-3.
It was a momentous occasion and though the team lost the final 2-0 to Portugal after a thrilling 2-1 semi-final win over a Kasey Keller-inspired USA, they got a heroes’ welcome on arrival.
NIGERIA ‘99
Although nobody knew it during the celebration of the Saudi ’89 exploits, it was going to be another 10 years before Nigeria’s flag will be hoisted at the WYC. First, a FIFA ban from all age-grade competitions meant the country missed out on Portugal ’91, then they failed to qualify for Australia ’93, pulled out of Qatar ’95 after FIFA withdrew the hosting rights originally granted Nigeria, failed to reach Malaysia ’97 before returning as hosts in 1999.
Despite being hosts, the Flying Eagles played in the African qualifiers in Ghana, beating Tanzania 4-2 (3-1, 1-1) to reach the tournament proper. They defeated Guinea 4-3, walloped Malawi 5-0 before drawing goalless with Zambia. Cameroun fell 2-1 in the semi-finals before the Flying Eagles got stopped by hosts Ghana 1-0 in the final.
At the WYC, they started on a shaky note, drawing 1-1 with Costa Rica before easing pressure by beating Germany 2-0 but lost the last group game 2-1 to Paraguay.
In the round of 16, they edged Republic of Ireland 3-1 on penalties after a 1-1 stalemate but met their waterloo at the quarter-finals when Mali trounced them 3-1.
It was the end of the road for Nigeria but the Malians claimed bronze for Africa after also knocking Cameroun out in the round of 16. Ghana also lost in the quarters while Zambia failed to make it past the first round.
NETHERLANDS ‘05
Nigeria had another five-year hiatus from the WYC as the Flying Eagles failed to qualify for Argentina 2001 and UAE 2003.
The class of 2005, under the guidance of Coach Samson Siasia, himself a winner of the broze medal in 1985, took the African Youth Championship in Benin Republic by storm to emerge winners.
They walloped hosts Benin 3-0, hit Mali 3-1 and pipped Ivory Coast 1-0 to reach the semis where they had to rely on penalties to edge Morocco after extra time ended 2-2. In the final they put Egypt to the sword with a 2-0 scoreline to win the AYC.
The team was fortified with highly-rated John Mikel Obi and the youngster did not fail as he led the country to a second final appearance.
Playing in Group F, they battled Brazil to a 0-0 draw, lost to South Korea 2-1 via two late goals for the Asians and then whipped Switzerland 3-0 to qualify for the next round.
Ukraine fell 1-0 in the round of 16 before a nerve-wracking 10-9 penalty shootout separated them from hosts Netherlands after extra-time ended 1-1. A 3-0 bashing of Morocco in the semis set up the final match versus Argentina but Lionel Messi’s two penalty goals earned the Argies a 2-1 victory and a second final heartache after Saudi ’89.
CANADA ‘07
Nigeria failed to defend its title at the AYC, losing to hosts Congo 1-0 in the final but it did enough to book a ticket to a second successive WYC in Canada.
They started brightly, whipping Zambia 4-1, drawing 1-1 with Egypt before losing 2-0 to Cameroun after semi-final placing had been secured. They piped Gambia 1-0 in the last four to book a place at the WYC.
In Canada, the Flying Eagles were paired in group F with Japan, Costa Rica and Scotland. They beat the Costa Ricans 1-0, Scotland 2-0 before forcing a 0-0 draw with Japan.
Fellow Africans Zambia fell 2-1 in the round of 16 but the Nigerian lads came crashing 4-0 against Chile (scores was 0-0 after 90mins) in a match more (in)famous for Nigeria Coach Ladan Bosso’s allegation of racism against centre-referee Howard Webb for which he was fined by FIFA.
EGYPT ‘09
The Flying Eagles could not regain the AYC crown in Rwanda, doing just enough to book a place at Egypt 2009 with a third-place finish.
They defeated Egypt 2-0, lost 2-1 to South Africa before mauling Ivory Coast 3-0 to reach the last four. In the semis, they lost 2-0 to Cameroun but regained some pride by beating South Africa 2-1 in the third-place match.
Coach Siasia was back on the job, ostensibly to re-enact the magic of 2005, but the Flying Eagles never convinced anyone that they were good enough for the title.
They lost their opening Group B game 1-0 to Venezuela, fell 2-0 to Spain but a 5-0 win over Tahiti and combination of other results ensured the team squeezed through to the round of 16 where they finally crashed out 3-2 to Germany.
Ghana, one of the other African teams, won the title after a penalty shootout victory over Brazil.
COLOMBIA 2011
Nigeria was third time lucky as the Flying Eagles finally won the AYC again after losing out in the previous two edition for a record sixth title overall.
They started the tournament with a 2-1 victory over Ghana, lost 1-0 to Cameroun but bounced back to beating Gambia 2-0. Another 2-0 win over Mali secured a final appearance where they faced group rivals Cameroun again but, this time, the Flying Eagles where ready and duly won 3-2.
At the WYC, the African champions showed intent by winning all three first round games; 5-0 against Guatemala, 5-2 versus Croatia and a 2-0 spanking of the plucky Saudis. England were the opponent in the round of 16 and the Flying Eagles won 1-0 but crashed out in the quarters after a 3-2 extra-time loss to France.
As consolation, Nigeria was awarded the Fair Play trophy.
TURKEY 2013
The Flying Eagles surrendered their AYC crown to Egypt but got a seat on the flight to Turkey for the WYC.
At the tournament staged in Algeria, Nigeria began with a 1-0 loss to Mali, defeated Gabon by the same score-line and thumped DR Congo 3-1 to round up the group games. They lost 2-0 to Egypt but took bronze with a 2-1 win over Mali.
South America powerhouses Brazil and Argentina were both missing and one would have fancied the chances of the Flying Eagles being one of the most experienced at this level.
They finished second in Group B behind Portugal, losing 3-2 to the Portuguese before whipping Cuba 3-0 and claiming a slim 1-0 win over South Korea.
Their progress was however halted by a 2-1 loss to Uruguay in the round of 16.
NEW ZEALAND 2015
Like in 1987, the Flying Eagles comprise a team of super-talented individuals who have been forged together by years of togetherness in the U-17 team that triumphed in the UAE in 2013 and familiarity with the Coach Manu Garba led technical crew.
They practically strolled to a seventh AYC title in Senegal last March with a performance that confounded opponents and left pundits with no choice but to tip them as one of the favourites for the title.
A 3-1 win over hosts Senegal was followed closely by another 4-1 whipping of Congo before drawing 2-2 with Ivory Coast in a largely inconsequential game to round off the group games.
They trounced arch-rivals Ghana 2-0 in a match whose scores flattered the losers and dominated against Senegal in the final before winning 1-0 to reach New Zealand as kings of Africa.
From Tarila Okorowanta who scored Nigeria’s first-ever WYC goal in 1983 to Olanrewaju Kayode who got the Flying Eagles last goal at the last edition in Turkey in 2013, can the class of 2015 go the final hog to claim Nigeria’s first-ever victory at this level?
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